Renaissance
by Quicksilver
Summary: Renaissance is about the rebirth of the seishi- in their own world. Seventeen years has passed since the Miko returned to her world for the final time. Seventeen years, and the Gods are moving again....
1. Prelude

Prelude

Quicksilver's Quill Offers   
Renaissance   
[mbsilvana@yahoo.com][1]   
standard Disclaimers   
Author's Notes: Lyrics for Prelude translated by [ChichiriDA and Kaori Sakai][2];   
Used with permission.   
Thanks for everyone who's helped me thus far... it's going to be a long,   
crazy ride- sit down and buckle up, folks! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
Prelude 

_I wonder where the clouds go as they do, lead by immeasurable will_   
_Clearly it withers as willpower guides you through the trial_   
_Your here, I'm here, everyone is here_   
_We'll live together with the universe beginning to move_   


-Tasuki and Chichiri,   
Aoi Jyuu, Shiroi Nozomi (Blue Freedom, White Wish) 

  
  
  


And together they were four.... had always been four, would always be four.   
The last of their servants, the mikos, had been summoned, and soon it would be time for their lands to undergo yet another change along their paths to destiny. This time there was only had their seishi left to protect the people, the seishi who were the perpetual Guardians of the Four Quadrants.   
The one who ruled the East and War looked upon his brothers. Together, they transcended the boundaries of age, gender and time, and together they knew everything and had learned the greatest wisdom of all- the fact that they really understood nothing at all. "Is it time?" the one who wore the form of the serpent asked his companions, who were other aspects of his divinity.   
The one gifted with flight, the gentlest and most loving of the four aspects, tossed aside his feathers as he replied to his former adversary. "It has been ordained. The Guardians are in place; it is time for the world to learn the truth.... the four directions are no more...."   
The slowest one, and many would say the coldest and most fearsome, agreed. "The world is to be split asunder. The mikos have come, and now it is time for each of the realms to form an identity of its own, free of the others. The countries are children no longer- they do not need each other to lean on."   
"And what of Taiitsukun?" asked the serpent.   
This time the white tiger, Ruler of the West and Keeper of the Balance, answered. "She has agreed. She has known this was coming- the time of her Guardianship has passed- the new Guardians, the eternal souls, are to rise to take her place. She is, quite frankly, relieved that it has happened at last. We asked too much of her. One person should not bear   
the weight of the world, no matter how competent they are."   
The fearsome turtle of the North shrugged. "That is not our concern, _ototochan_."   
"Indeed," agreed the peacock. "She will have the peace she has long desired- only the Nyan Nyans will remain to guard the treasures she leaves behind."   
"The Nyan Nyans?" the tiger said incredulously. "Why not simply hand the artifacts over to the reincarnated Nakago? You'd be safer," the tiger said with what sounded like a sense of humor.   
"Nakago is better this time around!" the serpent snapped defensively. "Without him, the heavens would be unbalanced." Then he paused, anger draining away from him. "Have you two decided what to do about your missing seishi?"   
The tiger and the peacock looked at one another with perfect accord. Of all the aspects, they were the brighter ones, the ones that understood hope and love best.. "We had to select replacements- new souls that will bear the powers that were stripped from the original Tamahome and Tatara," said the peacock of the South.   
"I do not like this," the turtle said. "The souls were supposed to be seasoned by a trial with a miko before they were to assume the Guardianships."   
Again, the tiger and peacock looked at the other. "It is something that could not be helped- even deities make mistakes. The souls we chose were not ones that were meant to be forever recycled here, in this land. They belong to the World of Iron now, and I wish them the best of luck in their next circle," the tiger said softly. "We did not fare too badly; out of the twenty-eight seishi, we only lost two."   
"I would have preferred losing none," the turtle said grumpily.   
"We had no choice, _ototochan_," the serpent said with resignation. "But we are agreed?"   
"Agreed," Byakko said, the mountain winds echoing in his voice.   
"Agreed," Suzako said, the sunlight glittering off his rich red feathers.   
"Agreed," Genbu said, his voice as dark and grim as the earth itself.   
"Agreed," Seiryuu said, his slippery tones echoing in the room.   
"Let the sundering begin!" the four commanded, in a unique and frightening harmony. 

END PRELUDE 

   [1]: mailto:mbsilvana@yahoo.com
   [2]: http://members.xoom.com/ChichiriDA/



	2. The Players in Position

ren1

Quicksilver's Quill Offers:   
Renaissance   
[mbsilvana@yahoo.com][1]   
standard disclaimers

_Notes: I use a mixture of Japanese and Chinese names. My knowledge on Chinese culture isn't the greatest, so there may be some mistakes in that reguard. For the purposes of this fic, we're assuming Amiboshi was killed in OAV1 (it was never made clear- someone said that since Mits was there, he could have been healed, but I point out that Mits had tried to use his power to heal Tamahome)._   
_Lyrics for part one translated by Tasuki no Miko; used with permision._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Part One: The Players in Position 

**_The seed of the future is in the present_**   
**_What do you wanna do!? Let 'em know you wanna do this!_**   
**_A trusting heart has power it realizes dreams from magic_**

-Tasuki   
_Do=Be's ga Yatte Kuru (The Do=Be's Come)_

Satei stood in the courtyard, for once free of the tedious duties of the court. He was fourth in line to the throne, far enough away that he was safe from any immediate threat of becoming Emperor, but too close to really have much of a life outside of his court duties. One of his few pleasures was sword-work, something he indulged in with almost a feverish passion whenever he got the chance. He felt pity for his cousin Boushin, though he would never admit it. His cousin had been Emperor all his young life and had never known anything else, yet Satei knew almost instinctively how lonely the position must have been. Never to have had a father, aside from the stories of the legendary Hotohori. It was a wonderful thing that his father had been one of the seishi, but stories were a cold comfort to a child as he grew up. Satei had always tried to fill in this gap in whatever way he could, even though the Emperor was two years his senior.   
Still, right now, thoughts of his more important relative faded as he balanced the long blade in his hand. The sword was easily three feet long, but he wielded it as though it was a knife- short and easily controlled. He spun into a few graceful katas, losing himself in the sensation of the cool steel in his grasp. This sword could kill in his hands. Rapidly he executed a few graceful feints.   
Applause caused him to spin around, cursing his naiveté. No one should be able to enter this part of the courtyard without being a member of the royal family, and he had allowed that knowledge to lull him into a sense of security. He held the sword in front of him in a guard position, ready to protect himself if necessary. Satei knew that, logically, he should be screaming for the guards right about now, but he had been fiercely independent as long as he could remember, and that was something he couldn't change about his nature.   
"Who are you?" he demanded, trying to sight the person who had applauded.   
A slender figure dropped out of the trees, landing on the ground like a cat. The person was very slight, only coming to his shoulder. He looked like a very young fifteen, and Satei noticed that he was holding a part of his shirt like it was a little sack. The boy had long blue-violet hair that was braided loosely down his back to where the tip was tucked into a sash at his waist. The boy's brilliant purple eyes looked out from underneath long eyelashes, and Satei fought down a feeling of recognition. "I know I shouldn't have made any noise, but you're really very good," the boy said cheerfully. He plopped himself down on the soft green grass and undid the knots in his shirt slowly. He seemed completely oblivious to the danger he was in.   
"What are you doing here?" Satei asked, more curious then worried.   
The boy gave him a mischievous grin. "Scrounging cherries," he said, finally getting his shirt open. He pulled out a lush cherry and popped it into his mouth cheerfully.   
"That's enough to get you beheaded!" Satei said, aghast. "Stealing from the Emperor!"   
The boy gave him a sideways glance as he ate another cherry. "For such a little thing? Tortured, maybe, but not killed. Besides, the Emperor, may he live for a hundred years, is rumored to be pretty nice. He has more cherries here then he can possibly eat, so I doubt he'll miss a few. Want a cherry?"   
The boy's cheerful irreverence charmed Satei more then he cared to admit. "No, I do not want a cherry," Satei said, though he put up his sword slightly. "What's your name?" he asked.   
The boy thought for a moment. "You can call me Nuriko," he said.   
Satei laughed. "That's not your name. No one has the nerve to name their child after one of the Seishi- it's too presumptuous."   
"Did I say it was my name?" Nuriko asked, offended. "But I have more right to claim it then most," he continued, though he didn't elaborate. "I would have to be awfully stupid to just give you my real name- you could have me tracked."   
Satei was just about to challenge him when he heard the sound of someone else approaching. Nuriko must have heard it as well, for his ears perked up and he started to gather what remained of his cherries. "I have to bring some back so I can prove to the guys I actually came here," Nuriko explained.   
The pieces fell into place. Nuriko had come over the wall on a dare from the village boys, probably to prove some point. As he looked at the boy's petite build, he understood how Nuriko must have been compelled constantly to prove himself. "If you take a right after you climb over, you'll find a short cut to the public gardens," Satei said.   
"Thanks," Nuriko said with a grin. "If you're ever in town, I'll look you up and treat you to tea as a way of saying thank you."   
"How would you know I was there?" Satei couldn't resist asking.   
"Nothing goes on in town without my being aware of it, Satei-sama... everyone knows me."   
Satei didn't even get a chance to asked how Nuriko knew his name, for the boy had already vanished over the wall. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Chichiri looked at the house the lay snuggled in the crook of the mountain, smiling to himself- a real smile beneath the mask he still wore. Whistling cheerfully, he walked towards the house, listening. Sure enough, it came.   
"Shun'u no baka!" a voice yelled, and a second later, a man darted out of the door as though he was being chased by the hounds of hell.   
Chichiri's brother star Tasuki, the man also known as Shun'u and Genrou, raced away. The red head darted towards the trees and Chichiri knew it would take a while to track him down. Tasuki knew these mountains like the back of his hand, and the past eighteen years had taught him the best hiding places among the many possibilities.   
"Konnichi wa, Chichiri-san!" a voice said from behind him.   
Chichiri's grin grew even broader as he turned around to face his friend's oldest son. "Ohayo, Dokun-chan! Have your parents been fighting again, no da?" he asked the youngster.   
The boy tossed his long ponytail over his shoulder and sighed. "No more then usual. Sometimes I wonder why the two bothered to get married at all."   
Chichiri chuckled as he looked into the somewhat frustrated face of the boy. "Strange as it may sound, they actually love each other very much, and fighting is a way they show it, no da. What would it be like if they didn't fight?"   
The boy frowned as he concentrated for a moment, then his eyes grew wide. "You know, I never tried to think about it that way. I can't remember a time when they weren't ready to hurt the other."   
"Have they ever hurt each other?"   
"Aside from each other's pride? No," Dokun answered after consideration.   
"They each have so much pride it would be hard not to hurt, no da!" Chichiri said. "But if you ever get worried, just think of this: your father is a very strong, fit man. If he wasn't holding back, he would have killed your mother years ago, no da."   
"That's not reassuring," Dokun answered. The two walked together until they came to the fence in front of the house, and each took a somewhat precarious seat on it.   
"It will be fine- after all, if he didn't kill her when she washed his mouth out with soap, he won't kill her now, no da." Chichiri stretched slowly, feeling each one of his years as his looked on his friend's son. "Think it's safe to go in yet?"   
The boy shook his head. "Another few minutes at least."   
Dokun was handsome. His hair was thick and black like his mother's, yet he had his father's golden eyes and trim build. Even though he should have looked like his father, he didn't. His expression was too thoughtful, and was probably brighter then both of his parents put together. Tasuki claimed to be completely baffled by it, by Chichiri always sensed his friend's pride in his eldest son's abilities. The boy was good at most of what he did, and at fifteen, was turning into a man that any father would let their daughter marry- if she thought she could put up with her in-laws. Which was saying a lot.   
Unbeknown to the rest of the seishi, Tasuki had been betrothed to a girl of his village by his parents when he was ten. When he ran away at fifteen, he had managed to shame her, which hadn't earned him any points on her account. Shortly after Miaka and Taka had left for their world, she had finally cornered him long enough to force him to actually go through with the marriage- and neither of them had been very happy about it, but it had been a matter of family honor.   
Tasuki and his not-so-happy bride, Arashi, had spent the first year of their marriage fighting. She had not been fond of most of the bandits, while he resented her intrusion into his otherwise ideal (to him) life. Eventually they had learned to coexist peacefully and even love the other, but their pattern had been set. Fight, and fight, and then fight some more. Tasuki's "I-hate-women" attitude had hardly helped matters.   
"So how are your siblings, no da?" Chichiri asked.   
Dokun smiled. "Growing much larger- I think Ryuumi is the prettiest girl in the village, while Hakurou already has otousan's temper."   
"If Ryuumi looks anything like your mother, I'm sure she is," Chichiri said. "And what about you, no da?"   
The boy twisted his fingers nervously. "I want to enter the government, but otousan says he'd rather see me take his place as the next leader of the Mount Reikoku bandits," Dokun sighed with reservation.   
"And what does your mother say, no da?"   
"Kaasan says that she'd much rather see me become a street sweeper then a bandit. She says it's bad enough that she has to let Kouji-ojisan come around here whenever he wants, but for me to actually join the rest of the -what did she call them?- "uncouth barbarians" would be something she simply would not permit."   
Chichiri shut his eyes, trying not to laugh. Dokun sounded so concerned, yet the seishi recognized that the matter really wasn't anything his parents had any say over. "Have you told them what you wanted, no da?"   
"I would if they stopped yelling at each other long enough to hear what I had to say."   
Chichiri just kept smiling as he leapt of the fence. "Do not let it worry you yet," the monk advised. "You're young yet. Let's go see your mother, no da."   
The two headed for the back of the house, and Chichiri smiled as he saw a woman standing outside of the kitchen door, beating a rug passionately. She was a woman of medium height, with sparkling blue eyes and silky black hair that was caught back in a pony-tail that was falling out. Her body was trim, but the angry look on her face made her frighteningly imposing.   
Chichiri remembered the first time he had seen her. She had been eighteen then, and her hair had been shorn to her shoulders. In truth, he had mistook her for a boy until Tasuki had grudgingly admitted that she was his wife. "Konnichi wa, Arashi-san!" he called.   
She looked up, and Chichiri was relieved to see the smile that crossed her lips. Apparently, she wasn't in one of THOSE moods. He remembered, in a rather respectful way, the time she had taken it into her head that it had been HIS fault that Tasuki was such a pain in the ass. Arashi had made him miserable for the entire week he had deemed to stay, but Tasuki's pleading glances made sure Chichiri had returned. Arashi had been sweetly apologetic, explaining that her pregnancy (she had been carrying Hakurou at the time) had made her even more waspish then usual.   
Arashi put the rug beater down and walked briskly over to him, reaching up to catch his face in her hands. With a stunning smile she kissed his cheeks, and Chichiri thought, for the millionth time, that Tasuki was amazingly lucky to have such a woman as his wife. "Ohayo, Houjin-san," she said. "We haven't seen you in months!"   
"These feet travel whatever path looks good at the time, no da!" he said cheerfully. "But I did come back, didn't I?"   
She frowned up at him and cuffed him playfully on his arm. "Hai, hai," she agreed. "Is there something particular you wanted, or did you come to see that hooligan I was stupid enough to marry?" she asked. There was no real anger in her eyes, something the seishi thanked Suzako for.   
Chichiri hesitated, trying to tell her with his eyes that this was something that the children should not know about. While few would call Arashi overly perceptive, she seemed to get the message. "Well, we'll just have to wait for him to come out of the woods," she said grudgingly. "I think he's sulking."   
"What were you two fighting about this time, no da?" Chichiri couldn't keep himself from asking. The saga of Tasuki and his wife was FINE entertainment as far as the monk was concerned.   
Arashi mumbled something, and Chichiri raised an eyebrow, his quick ears missing it. Dokun apparently didn't, and cracked up in peals of innocent laughter. "Kaasan, you DIDN'T!" the boy wheezed between gasps for breath.   
Arashi flushed slightly, and Chichiri decided that prying the story of her latest marital spat out of her would be well worth the time. Besides, it would give them something to do until the elusive fire-haired seishi returned. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Boushin was impossible, Satei thought as he entered the Emperor's private quarters. His robes of state had been carelessly tossed aside, and Satei was barely able to keep from straightening up after his cousin. Boushin was wearing a pair of ink-stained pants and his hair was tied tightly back in a no-nonsense chignon, hardly looking like the son of the self-proclaimed "most beautiful man in the world".   
Anyone looking at the young men would have sworn that they were brothers rather then cousins. Each had the same rich brown hair and elegant features, and moved with a regal bearing that only those born to rule seemed to have. Boushin, though, was an inch or so shorter then his cousin and seemed to have inherited his mother's more peaceful temperament. The young Emperor was exceptionally laid back, and tolerated the endless hours of court with nary a complaint, even though Satei was aware of how much he hated them.   
Right now the Emperor was leaning over a stack of ledgers, occasionally swearing as he scribbled frantically. Satei sighed and elegantly sat down on the nearest chair. "Boushin, don't you have advisors to do that for you?" he asked. The young man started with surprise, and Satei realized that Boushin had been too engrossed by his numbers to hear him enter. "Gomen nasai," he apologized.   
Boushin stretched, rubbing his eyes. "It's my own fault. I've been too busy with this garbage," he said with a derisive snort. "As for my advisors, you know as well as I do that most of them are so crooked they can't walk straight. I would hate to have to start ordering beheadings when I can avoid it by doing a little work. I don't want to go down in history as a tyrant."   
"I hardly think you need to worry about that," Satei said. "I wanted to let you know that I caught someone in the gardens scrounging cherries."   
The Emperor smiled. "I hope they enjoyed them- Suzako knows that I'm not allowed to eat them for fear that someone managed to poison them somehow."   
Satei smacked a hand against his forehead melodramatically. "Aren't you the least bit concerned about someone breaching Palace security?"   
Boushin rose to his feet and continued to work the cricks out of his neck by rolling his shoulders. "Not really. I figure that my guards will get them before they can assassinate me, and if they don't, the person is going to spend the rest of his very short life being tortured."   
Satei was growing frustrated with his cousin's carefree attitude. "You're impossible," he said with a sigh.   
"I try," the Emperor said impishly. Then he yawned. "Do you ever get bored?"   
The sudden change in Boushin's tone told Satei that the Emperor was going to be serious for a while. "Bored? What do you mean?"   
"Bored. Trapped. Tired of routine. Ready to climb over the walls and join a group of traveling players," Boushin elaborated.   
Satei sighed. "The constant guards do get a little tiring, but we don't have much choice. Besides, most people would kill to be in your position- how many men have a harem as extensive as yours?"   
Boushin shuddered. "PLEASE don't mention the harem- those ladies frighten me. Either they are beautiful air-heads or scheming vipers. How come I can't just have a nice, intelligent woman who actually sees me instead of the stupid bucket I have to wear on my head?"   
"Because you're the Emperor. As far as most people are concerned, you ARE the bucket on your head, as you so elegantly put it. Take my advice and marry one of the airheads," Satei advised. "That way you won't have to worry about them killing you so they can be a regent for their son."   
Boushin opened his mouth to reply, but shut it just as quickly. Satei could see his cousin's hazel eyes screw up as he thought. "We're leaving," he announced.   
"Nani?" Satei asked. His cousin was brilliant, but sometimes his thoughts were so erratic that having a conversation with him was like trying to catch the wind.   
"Just for a little while," Boushin hurriedly explained. "I want to go into the city."   
"What for?" Satei asked.   
"Just to looked around," Boushin said. He reached up and pulled a couple to the jeweled sticks out of his hair, sending it cascading half-way down his back. He rushed over to his vanity and started to comb out the mass of hair.   
"Fine. Let me send word to the Guard Captain and-"   
"No," Boushin said firmly. He turned around and smiled innocently. "I want to go into the city in secret, and just have a look around. I don't want to be trailed around. You can make sure I get back here in one piece."   
Satei opened his mouth to protest. "I don't think that's a very good idea! What if-"   
"We won't be caught. And besides, I can always order you to come with me and keep your mouth shut. I've been wanting to do this for so long! Remember all those stories your Kaasan used to read to us about princes sneaking off into the cities in disguise?"   
Satei kept the million objections that went rolling through his head quiet. Boushin was bound and determined to do this, and if Satei didn't agree, the young Emperor would just sneak off on his own. With a sigh, Satei went back to his room to get dressed in clothes that would be less conspicuous in the city. While Satei had little experience in the city, his few visits made him much better prepared then his cousin, who was all for rolling in a pit of mud so he looked enough like his ideal of a peasant.   
The two crept over the same wall that Nuriko had taken a few hours earlier. Boushin had been subjected to the same training, so his body was fit. Satei prayed for no major incidences, but it seemed like his hopes were doomed to failure. The young Emperor raced through the streets, his innocent manner attracting many curious looks. Satei followed after him, muttering apologies and excuses that his brother was "rather simple".   
As luck would have it, Boushin was so busy staring at a street magician that he failed to avoid a young group of toughs that were wandering through. One of them, who seemed to be slightly drunk, crashed heavily into the handsome young Emperor. "What are you doing, baka yarou?"   
Satei opened his mouth to attempt to smooth things over, but Boushin turned around, a glint in his eyes. "I'm watching the street magician- they're really rather good, aren't they?" he said sweetly. The young Emperor was in such high spirits due to getting away from his numerous advisors and somewhat over protecting mother that he left himself wide open.   
"You owe my friend an apology for getting in his way!" another one of them piped. "I think 10 ryu would cover it, don't you?"   
Satei was not about to tolerate such behavior. The Emperor, being shook down like a commoner? "I suggest you leave him alone," Satei said in an icy voice.   
The toughs looked at him, and Satei was suddenly all too aware of the fact that there were six of them, and only two of them- and worse, neither of them were carrying their swords. "Really! How impudent can you be?" the one who had crashed into Boushin asked. "I think the price just went up to twenty ryu. Or else my friends will have to get satisfaction from you in a different way."   
"I'd like to see you try," Satei said.   
"Calm down, Satei-kun," Boushin said, his eyes wide with worry. "There's no need to fight," Boushin said, trying to keep things from getting out of control. If his advisors ever found out he had gotten into a street fight, he could say good-bye to what little freedom he had, something he most definitely did not want happening.   
"I agree," an alto voice said from behind the royal duo. "Don't you agree, Kirin-chan?"   
The entire group looked over at the pair who had just arrived. Satei wasn't that surprised to see Nuriko standing there, a hulking giant of a man with short, feathery hair accompanying him. Nuriko was standing cockily, seemingly open top attack, but the bullies' reactions were very interesting.   
They paled and started to back away. Satei wondered why they seemed so frightened- there were six of them, and though large, Kirin was only one man. "I think fighting is always a bad idea, Ryuuen-chan," the large man replied in a surprisingly light tenor voice. "But if necessary, I guess we can always oblige, ne?"   
Nuriko -apparently the "Ryuuen" who Kirin had addressed- smiled sweetly at the group. "Now I suggest you get out of here, or else I get nasty.... I'm sure you don't want Nam-Jung to know you were making eyes at that pretty red head last week, do you, Xi-kun? And I'm sure your mother would be VERY interested in knowing exactly who you're calling friends nowadays, Ping-kun. Should I go on?" he asked. The gang shook their heads and took off, their nervousness written all over their faces.   
The four people remaining stared at each other silently before Satei spoke. "So your name is Ryuuen, isn't it?"   
Ryuuen looked a little uncomfortable. "Chou Ryuuen," he said. "And my friend is Li Kirin. I wasn't expecting to see you so soon."   
"So soon?" Boushin asked. "You know her?" he asked his cousin.   
"Her? Your eyes need work, cousin. That's a guy," Satei said. "Anyway, Ryuuen in the one I caught stealing cherries."   
Boushin frowned at Ryuuen. "I think it's your eyes that need work. Ryuuen is most definitely a woman," he said, stepping forward and taking Ryuuen's hand in his own. "Charmed," he said, raising Ryuuen's hand for a kiss.   
Ryuuen giggled. "It's my pleasure, heika-sama."   
Boushin started in surprise. "How did you know?" he demanded.   
Ryuuen's smile was sly. "I know everything."   
By this time, Satei had finally worked himself out of his shock. "You- You're a woman?" he demanded, trying to see some curves.   
"Hai!" Ryuuen chirped cheerfully.   
"But- but... you let me think you were a guy!" Satei protested.   
"You made that mistake on your own. If you had asked, I would have told you I am most definitely a female," Ryuuen answered as she reclaimed her hand from the Emperor.   
"I don't believe it!" Satei said, then darted forward to grope her chest.   
"Hentai!!" Ryuuen yelped, slamming the young swordsman in the face with a mean uppercut, sending him tumbling backwards.   
"Most definitely a woman," Boushin said, sounding like he was ready to fall into uncontrollable laughter. Satei was rubbing his jaw, trying to collect his scattered wits.   
"Just because I happen to dress like a man doesn't make me one!" Ryuuen snapped temperamentally at the man who was sitting on the ground. "Why the hell did you just fondle me? You may be royalty, but that means squat to me!"   
"Calm down, Ryuuen," Kirin said. "He didn't mean anything by it, and you have to admit this isn't the first time this has happened."   
Ryuuen grumbled a little to herself, then tossed her head, sending her long braid swinging. "It's not my fault no one believes me," she replied, though her voice was calmer.   
"If you didn't bind your chest, people might actually be able to see, rather then have the urge to feel for themselves," Kirin retorted, ducking out of Ryuuen's range, a wise move.   
Almost reflexively, Ryuuen swung out behind her. If Kirin hadn't backed away, she would have landed a very nice punch. "You're so MEAN!" she exclaimed petulantly.   
"She always does that," Kirin said to the two other men. "May I ask what you are doing in town without an escort, heika-sama?"   
Boushin was finding the entire situation quite fascinating. First, there was a girl who dressed like a boy who had one of the best punches he'd ever seen. The same girl manage to hit his cousin square in the face, and now his beloved (though sometimes irritatingly overprotective) cousin was sitting on the ground, trying to regain what little wits he had. Then there was the man who was speaking to him, looking him directly in the eye, rather then cowering at his feet. All in all, it was a unique experience for the young ruler, and he had no intention of letting it go. Looking at Ryuuen, he privately thought she was more attractive then any of the women in his harem- she was very pretty, and honest with her emotions.   
"Heika-sama?" Kirin asked again, jarring him from his thoughts.   
"I decided I wanted to see my capital," he said, somewhat defensively. "I can't do that properly with twenty men trailing after me, and six carrying me in a stupid chair."   
Ryuuen snapped out of her bad mood as though it had never been. "I'm sure it can't be that much fun," she said sympathetically. Her eyes sparkled, and it happened.   
Boushin fell head-over-heels in love.   
Ryuuen stood in the middle of the street, unaware that the world had just become hers. The petite girl's hair, some of which was slipping out of its long braid, blew in the slight breeze, and Boushin was overwhelmed with the desire to untie it and run his fingers through the silky strands, and hold her close to him.   
Satei, though, was more familiar with his cousin, and he saw the slightly astounded look on his face, and the way his eyes were clinging to Ryuuen. He decided to step in and give Boushin time to collect himself. "Ryuuen, even though you offered to buy the tea, I think it's only fair if I pay- consider it an apology for my rudeness. Do you know a good place for the four of us to go?"   
Ryuuen turned her attention to him, and reached out a hand, offering to help him rise. "Sure. I know everything about this city. Just follow me, and I'll show you the time of your life!" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

It was late at night at the Kou household. Tasuki, Chichiri and Arashi sat at a table, sharing conversation and tea. Tasuki had finally gotten the urge to return, and Arashi had let him off easily this time, only yelling at him for ten minutes before she let the matter drop. Chichiri had watched as Tasuki had fumed silently, but decided to leave the matter alone.   
Now the trio was in the kitchen, talking peacefully. Arashi and Tasuki were in a mellow mood, hardly sniping at each other at all. Chichiri decided that this was probably the best chance he was going to get. At the next comfortable lull in conversation, he spoke. "I've been wanting to talk to you about something important, no da," he said hesitantly.   
"Eh?" Tasuki said, while Arashi raised an inquiring eyebrow.   
"It's about your children... I wanted to ask you how much you've told them about the Suzaku Seishi, no da" Chichiri said quietly.   
Tasuki's face grew hard, while Arashi's lost all expression. "Nothing except what most people know," Arashi answered for the both of them.   
"Nani no da?" Chichiri asked, a little surprised.   
"Because it's not necessary for them to know," Tasuki replied grimly. "I don't want my children to grow up with that kind of history haunting their dreams. I still have nightmares, you now, and there's no way I'm chancing any of that happening to them."   
"That's why you won't let me call you Tasuki and why you call me Houjin now, no da," Chichiri mused. "So they don't even know you're Tasuki?"   
"Bah!" Tasuki said. "Most people think I'm dead, and I have no intention of clearing up that misconception. If you remember, I didn't want any of it in the first place."   
"Hai, I remember." Chichiri shut his eyes, trying to keep from getting angry. He had no right to criticize the way Tasuki raised his children. Tasuki was a surprisingly good father, and Chichiri doubted he could do half as well as the bandit had done. "But you're just going to forget about the others, no da?" he asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.   
"No, dammit!" Tasuki snapped, earning himself a glare from his wife for the use of profanity. "I think of them every day! I named my oldest son for Chiriko, and my daughter's name is a variation of Nuriko's! I just don't Dokun or Hakurou feeling any responsibilities to the past. I don't want to take away any of Ryuumi's innocence. I WILL protect them at all costs, even if it means leaving them ignorant."   
Arashi spoke up. "Perhaps it's time for us to tell Dokun, though. He's fifteen years old- that's old enough to be married. He should be able to handle the truth... we can't deny him his heritage," she said softly.   
Tasuki looked at her grave expression. "Later... we'll tell him later," he promised his wife, reaching out an squeezing her hand in a rare gesture of affection.   
"But when will later come?" Chichiri demanded. "He won't be around here much longer, no da."   
Arashi turned alarmed eyes on him. "What do you mean?" she asked urgently. "Something's not wrong, is it?"   
Chichiri shook his head and tried to smile reassuringly. "Shun'u, he's growing up. I think in the next few months he'll want to go to the city and apply for a government job."   
"Government? Bah! He's taking my place as leader of the Reikoku bandits!" Tasuki said firmly.   
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Arashi replied. "What do you mean, government?"   
Chichiri smiled sadly. "You named him well- he's a scholar at heart. Don't force him to take your place, Tasuki. He'd be desperately unhappy."   
"But-" Tasuki started to protest, but was interrupted by an immense shaking of the ground. On his arm, he could feel the warm sensation that meant his symbol had appeared. Similar, Chichiri started in surprise, opening his eyes wide in alarm. "What the HELL was that?" Tasuki demanded.   
Chichiri could think of only one thing to say. "Trouble." 

END PART ONE 

   [1]: mailto:mbsilvana@yahoo.com



End file.
